10 Brief Title
The Brief
Solution
Evaluation
Guest Bespoke
Visual identity for a furniture designer who specialises in bespoke pieces.
To start the project I had a very enlightening meeting with the client. In asking some basic questions I had a thorough understanding of who the designer was and what he wanted to communicate to the world.
I would like to start by saying the brief has been successful, the work has received some very very positive feedback, and a little negative feedback too which is always a good thing. It wasn’t an easy project to complete as I didn’t set concrete project outlines at the start of the brief. This is something I will always put in place at the beginning of each and any new project with a client.
Brief Type Live
Collaborators N/A
Background The furniture designer had no name so it was a full branding brief. His furniture is made using traditional media and craft to create concept-driven pieces of furniture.
I named the designer ‘Guest Bespoke’ combining his surname with the type of furniture he makes. Setting a professional tone of voice, aimed at the affluent audience that make up Guest Bespoke’s clientele. The logo design communicates Guest Bespoke’s desire for their furniture to be experienced by all 5 senses. With the groundwork of an identity in place, and a solid rationale to work to the supporting materials essentially designed themselves. Every item has a focus places of ease of use for the client, an easy and low-cost to update portfolio was used. A clean and simple website, and business cards that show Guest Bespoke’s focus on craft and texture.
I developed a process in which to begin every brief with a client, not in terms of a visual style, more in having a set of questions which reveal why the client wants what they wants, and what they hope to achieve with the project. It was this project which has allowed me to deliver appropriate design solutions for this brief.
Considerations Cost was a concern of mine, both me and the client have a limited budget for self-promotion low-cost production methods needed to be used. Another focus of mine was to create an identity which could be built on by the client, I didn’t feel a fixed identity to be an appropriate solution for a maker of bespoke furniture.
David M Gaskell
OUGD603
Brief 10
1/8
‘A statement piece to be used and admired by all the senses, it takes direct inspiration from the live/evergreen oak trees found in the southern states of America.’
Research
David M Gaskell
What I did
Why I did it
How the research informed me
The focus of my research was learning about the furniture designer. All the research I made was primary, from speaking to the designer and looking at his work.
An understanding of my client is a lot more important to a successful outcome than surface level visual research of furniture designer’s identities.
What stood out to me when speaking to the designer was his ambition for the work to be experienced by all five senses. His work influenced how I will approach the identity, all his furniture look quite natural, you can identify the materials he has used.
OUGD603
Brief 10
2/8
Development
David M Gaskell
Concept
Logo
Supporting type
Show the materials the designer uses and the affect he wants to have on the audience.
The main logo design, left of the page references the inner rings of a tree. I used five lines the represent the five senses.
The client required supporting type, I aimed to show the natural curves that can be seen in the designer’s work.
OUGD603
Brief 10
3/8
Development
Business Card
Portfolio
What needed to change
Multiple variations of the business card were made. Initially there were no special finishes, with the card’s ‘special quality’ being given by using a stamp applied logo. After a few meetings with the client, he must have been informed of embossing, as he wanted a pattern embossed into the card. Being unsuccessful in making a copper plate at the Vernon Street print resource forced me to try and emboss the business card using a wooden plate. These attempts weren’t successful, and I didn’t feel embossing related to the designers work.
The portfolio needed to be low-cost to update and be highquality at the same time. A few made a few variations of how the designers work could be shown that was both high-quality and low-cost.
I was not happy with the business cards. They didn’t have the special bespoke feel the business cards needed to have. More focus has to be paid to the finishes, embossing doesn’t work, die-cutting should be tried to raise the cards to the next level.
The first attempt was weak, I made an open-envelope style case. This was low-cost to update, but quite expensive to make and very cheap looking. A few variations of this idea were made, using a smaller format and heavier stocks, however none of these felt right.
The portfolio was heading in the the right direction. Areas for improvement - the cover design - it has to have the special bespoke feel that the business cards will have. The stock needed to be considered, the ultra-thick cover doesn’t work and leaves the design feeling unconsidered and ultimately cheap. The inserts are a postive, as is the format, as every piece of the design can be replicated on a home printer.
The second attempt was a book, with inserts that can be pulled-out. to allow for an easy to update portfolio. This met all requirements for the portfolio. David M Gaskell
OUGD603
Brief 10
4/8
www.guestbespoke.com/
www.guestbespoke.com/
Stumpy Desk and Storage Native Ash, European Oak/Burr and American Black Walnut.
About Work
Stumpy Floating - in the shaker style Confide in me
The Logo. What it represents.
Home
A statement piece to be used and admired by all the senses, it takes direct inspiration from the live/evergreen oak trees found in the southern states of America. By keeping the number of components to a minimum I have tried to show off the tree’s inner beauty. The desk assumes an executive status but the position of the top allows it to be used against a wall if space becomes an issue.
About
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1 2
©
Dave Guest 2013. Site design by da-vid.
Development
David M Gaskell
©
Guest Bespoke 2013.
Website
What needed to change
The website needed to be easy to use. It functions as a very simple portfolio site, there is no e-commerce function on the site. The first variations of the website were very weak, not much attention was paid to functionality and thus the navigation bar is a bit too complicated. Positives from these versions of the website are the large photographs of furniture, and the clean layout.
The navigation needed to be simplified. Apart from the website was coming together.
OUGD603
Brief 10
5/8
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Outcome
David M Gaskell
What the design says
Who it says it to
Why it works
Simplicity with a focus on quality.
Guest Bespoke’s clients. These have been defined as 35 plus years old with a lot of disposable income.
The logo being applied by a stamp allows for a bespoke logo with each application.
OUGD603
Brief 10
6/8
Outcome
What the design says
Who it says it to
Why it works
The design of the business card is rather intense. Die-cut and quad-plexing combined with the stamp applied logo makes each business card feel special for the recipient.
Guest Bespoke’s clients. These have been defined as 35 plus years old with a lot of disposable income.
The design solutions are low-cost and high-qaulity.
The portfolio has a similar high-quality finish to the business card, yet is much more functional, with the inserts allowing for low-cost updating.
David M Gaskell
OUGD603
Brief 10
7/8
www.guestbespoke.com
www.guestbespoke.com
Outcome
www.guestbespoke.com
What the design says
Who it says it to
Why it works
The complicated navigation was fixed in the final version of the website. The photographs of furniture are used as larger buttons when hovered over.
Guest Bespoke’s clients. These have been defined as 35 plus years old with a lot of disposable income.
Clean, easy-to-use witht he focus placed on the work.
The logo changes on each page, keeping the bespoke aspect of the identity running through the print and digital materials.
David M Gaskell
OUGD603
Brief 10
8/8